Saurauia polysperma is a species of flowering plant in the family Actinidiaceae. It is endemic to the Philippines.[2] In the Philippines it is also known as tsuke.[citation needed] Francisco Manuel Blanco, the Augustinian friar who first formally described the species, using the basionym Gordonia polysperma, named it after its many seeds (Latinized form of Greek σπέρμα, spérma).
| Saurauia polysperma | |
|---|---|
| |
| Herbarium specimen of Saurauia polysperma.[1] | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Actinidiaceae |
| Genus: | Saurauia |
| Species: | S. polysperma
|
| Binomial name | |
| Saurauia polysperma | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Saurauia subglabra Merr. | |
Description edit
It is a small tree reaching about 1.5 meters in height. Its leaves are narrow and tapering with serrated margins and are almost hairless. Its petioles are very short. Its Inflorescences are organized as panicles each bearing a few flowers. Its inflorescences are axillary. Its flowers have a calyx with 5 oval-shaped sepals fused at their base. Its corolla has 5 oval lobes that are fused at their base. Each lobe has a notched tip. Its flowers have up to 30 stamens. Its fertilized ovaries have chambers, each containing numerous seeds.[3][4]
Reproductive biology edit
The pollen of Saurauia polysperma is shed as permanent tetrads.[5]
References edit
- ^ "Saurauia polysperma Merr". Tropicos. Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden. n.d. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- ^ "Saurauia polysperma (Blanco) Merr". Plants of the World Online. The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ Blanco, Manuel (1837). Flora de Filipinas (in Spanish). Manila: Sto. Tomás por D. Candido Lopez. p. 549.
- ^ Merrill, Elmer Drew (1918). Species Blancoanae :a critical revision of the Philippine species of plants described by Blanco and by Llanos. Manila: Bureau of Printing. p. 263.
- ^ Jagudilla-Bulalacao, L (1997) Pollen Flora of the Philippines, Volume 1, Taguig, Metro Manila: Department of Science and Technology, Special Projects Unit, Technology Application and Promotion Institute.